A day after agreeing to become Los Angeles County's top manager, Orange County's chief executive changed his mind Tuesday, delivering yet another setback for officials searching for someone to run the nation's largest county government.
Thomas G. Mauk told Los Angeles County officials during a telephone call after a hastily convened closed session in which Orange County supervisors sweetened his contract and persuaded him to stay.
Los Angeles County supervisors thought they had ended their six-month search to replace retiring Chief Administrative Officer David Janssen when Mauk accepted the job Monday. Supervisors went so far as to formally appoint him that morning.
"I think it's an embarrassment for everyone involved, but it's a bump in the road, and it will be a footnote, if that, in history," said Zev Yaroslavsky, chairman of the Board of Supervisors. He said Mauk had expressed reservations about applying for the job before agreeing to be interviewed last week.
Mauk is the second person to snub Los Angeles County, underscoring the difficulty that large counties -- especially this one -- face in finding and retaining qualified managers.
Earlier this month, Sandra Vargas, a county administrator from Minnesota, rejected an offer. She was among five finalists the county selected for interviews. Two others also dropped out.
"We are obviously disappointed," said Tony Bell, a spokesman for Supervisor Mike Antonovich. "However, we are confident that our search will produce another candidate as qualified as Thomas Mauk."
So why has it been so hard to find someone qualified to take the job?
The position delivers the opportunity to manage the nation's largest county government, molding policy on issues such as welfare, foster care, criminal justice and health for 10 million people. As a sign of its importance, some have dubbed Janssen "the sixth supervisor."
In addition, the pay is substantial. Mauk was offered $270,000 a year, roughly $100,000 more than his bosses, the elected county supervisors.
On the other hand, the challenges are enormous. The role involves balancing a $21-billion budget and trying to meet a daunting need for social services while balancing the demands of five bosses with divergent philosophies.
In the last year, race riots and other violence have beset the county's jails, which are so short of space that more than 200,000 convicted inmates have been released early since 2002. Meanwhile, the county's healthcare budget shortfall is projected to exceed $1 billion by 2010.
